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FLASH BACK: President David Granger and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan. In the background is Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

New evidence has surfaced showing that top Alliance For Change (AFC) leaders did in fact advise President David Granger not to pick any of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s second batch of nominees for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and that the Guyanese leader could go ahead and unilaterally appoint someone else of his choice.

The surfacing of this information in internal party correspondence contradicts the AFC’s official position stated publicly twice in its press releases since Granger’s unilateral appointment of Retired Justice James Patterson as chairman of the elections management body.

Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan on Thursday confirmed that he last month authored an email to party executives, telling them he had advised the President against selecting any of the nominees on the second list.

Those on the second batch were Retired Justice of Appeal B.S Roy, Retired Justice William Ramlall; Attorney-at-law and a former Magistrate, Ms. Oneidge Walrond-Allicock; Attorney-at-Law, Kashir Khan; Attorney-at-law, Nadia Sagar and businessman, Gerald Gouveia.

In the-mail he also stated categorically that AFC Leader, Raphael Trotman was also present and he, too, also “expressed a similar sentiment”.

In correspondence dated October 22, 2017 to other top party executives, Ramjattan stated categorically that he told the President that he did not support any of Jagdeo’s nominees. “I did express my opinion to the President at a Cabinet break some time back, after the second list from Jagdeo, that I was not comfortable with any of those names presented. He had asked what I thought of the names,” said Ramjattan who is also Minister of Public Security.

FLASH BACK: Raphael Trotman receiving his instrument of ministerial appointment from President David Granger in 2015.

Ramjattan’s email was dispatched by Laurence Williams who is the Secretary of AFC-Canada. That grouping has already withdrawn temporarily from the AFC unless the Guyana-headquartered party calls for Patterson’s appointment to be withdrawn and for the party to vigorously pursue constitutional reform.

In that same correspondence, the AFC Chairman said he then went on to “advise” Granger that if he was also of that opinion, then he was within his right to proceed to name a person who fits the constitutional requirements as he is empowered to do under the proviso of Guyana’s constitution.

Ramjattan was shown copies of the correspondence by Demerara Waves Online News during break in Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly. After reading the printouts of the email, he said he had written them.

Asked to comment against the background of the fact that his party had said it was not involved in deciding who should be the GECOM Chairman, he remarked ‘ya” journalists like to deduce a lot” as he walked back into the Public Buildings Chamber.

Retired Justice James Patterson receiving his instrument of appointment as the new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission from President David Granger.

The AFC Chairman implied that he was aware of the implications of the unilateral appointment and that his party needed to explain its position. “Colleagues, yes, indeed perceptions are reality in politics. So we have to work hard to change this dangerously destructive perception. It means going more on the ground to explain what we (are) doing and why. Plus delivering on what was promised”.

One of the perceptions that Ramjattan said he was wary of was that, with the appointment of Justice Patterson as GECOM Chairman, was that future elections would be rigged and his party could not do anything to stop it. ” Ramjattan expressed confidence that elections could not be rigged as had been done under the then People’s National Congress administration that had been led by then President Forbes Burnham. “I have already stated that elections are very difficult to rig in the context of the institutional arrangements in place and the very many local and international eyes on them. A Granger administration is therefore differently placed as against that of a Burnham administration. I am aware of the difficulty this argument will have out there but it is the harsh truth,” he said.

Ramjattan suggested that one of the strategies should be for the AFC to place greater emphasis on constitutional reform.

The first list, which was also rejected, was comprised of Conflict Resolution and Governance Specialist, Lawrence Lachmansingh; Retired Major General, Norman Mc Lean; Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram; Business Executive Ramesh Dookhoo; History Professor, James Rose and Indian Rights Activist and businesswoman, Rhyaan Shah.

Kutta Jhaata and his shameless party was first to jump out of the box claiming they were not involved in the selection of Justice Patterson. Oh “ya” Judas Hiscariot and Pointus Pilut at the helm. God damn how disgusting that this is the Party I voted for.

Col123

Y..these chaps sold themselves for pieces of silver…as if they are in the world’s oldest profession……Nothing good can ever come out of this for these folks or this country.

Yannick23

Col good evening Squaddie, your point is well taken. The way things are going nothing good will ever come out of this for our country. I am ashamed and disgusted to say I voted for the AFC. This corhees have no principles in them. It now clearly seems they will sell their arses for power and money. What an embarrassment.

Col123

In any case, this is not news if you have any insight about those Indians… Their social class..??? caste structure is often predictable of their behavior culturally!…it’s no different from the cultural and social group behavior of Hutu and Tutsis..
No surprise that these indos were hoodwinked…. as usual. These Indos, and with others who left the PNC, literally missed the best chances to have clout as a major third political party, the future leaders of Guyana, and they blew it . What’s distressing is they are supposedly educated and smart fellows, to sustain their independence in being that important third party. It’s very clear though, that these kind of Indos are really gullible where there is power and money involved…

rs dasai

Col
You blew it with your last para. You know that the AFC is all hot air and has to
be towed to support or the ‘rope’ will be cut by the ‘rapier’ and the AFC will fall by the wayside.

Col123

It’s unfortunate ,but true, that there are groups in every culture, which are easily swayed…it’s sort of tribal in some regions in Africa , whereas in Indians, the caste structure can be identified…in politics, it’s no different!

rs dasai

KB
Mr. Ramjattan is right. The AFC is not involved with the UNI decision of the PNC.

rs dasai

Cleve
The coat may be fit and proper, but does it fit properly? There will always be dissent.

Col123

So if my dog is roaming the street creating circumstances where you swerve and had to ditch your car, you would be the sole chithead responsible for that event?

Yannick23

Col according to this macko that is what he wants us to believe.

Col123

That chap needs a class in Contemporary Logic ….His kind of reasoning is detrimental to social order!

Col123

OK …have some time now…you need not go far….go spend a week in Mobile, Alabama…if the KKK doesn’t get you, the cops certainly will…

Col123

If they advised Granger to ignore Jaggie’s lists…and utilize the constitutional loophole, without any protestation on Granger ‘s pick, then they had a hand in Granger’s decision…you literally can extrapolate on this decision in many ways given these reports, including the issue of a “ constitutional crisis” echoed by Naggie…